Many women have parts of their bodies that they are unhappy with, making them have an insecure feeling when wearing certain clothing. Foundation garments have been worn for a very long time to address this problem. Better known today as shapewear, these foundation garments include body briefs, bodysuits, brassieres, control panty hose, control panties, control briefs, control slips, control camisoles, control tanks, hip slips, waist shapers, corsets, garter belts, and girdles.
Shapewear are undergarments designed to change the wearer's shape, producing a more fashionable, slim figure and to enhance the natural curves of the body. Take for example control briefs. They are designed to lift a wearer's bottom, flatten the tummy and add shape and form to the thighs. Depending on the particular fit chosen, the shapewear garment can also help eliminate unsightly underwear lines, thereby providing a smooth, contoured silhouette regardless of whether the outer garments are pants, skirts or dresses.
Shapewear is typically categorized according to the level or shape control offered—for instance, light, medium or firm. Generally, shapewear can be categorized into four different support levels:                Light Control shapewear garments, which offer a slight touch of control without binding. These are typically chosen by women of all sizes who want to appear firmer, but not necessarily smaller.        Moderate Control shapewear garments may have light control panels built in, offering control with a touch of compression. These are typically chosen by women who want to look more toned.        Firm Control shapewear garments are the most popular with a support level that gives the maximum amount of compression and control. These are typically chosen by women seeking to appear slimmer and more toned.        
Extra Firm Control shapewear garments offer the highest level of support. These garments will most likely have reinforced panels and possibly boning.
Shapewear garments are typically formed by providing a control panel material in a desired shape and size, and then forming the remainder of the shapewear garment about the control panel material. For example, in a typical shapewear tank, a fabric material is used to form the bust area of the garment, a control panel material is sewn to the bust area fabric to form the tummy area, and then a fabric material (typically the same as that of the bust area) is sewn to the control panel material to form the bottom of the garment. This results in a shapewear garment having the control panel material exposed on the outer surface thereof.